Diane Prather: ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ good for leftovers

Diane Prather

Diane Prather's columns appear in the Craig Daily Press and Saturday Morning Press. You can call her at 824-8809.

'Beefy Shepherd’s Pie'

• 1 pound ground beef (90% to 95% lean)

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 jar (12 ounces) mushroom or beef gravy

• 1 ½ cups frozen peas

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

• 2 ½ to 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes, warmed

• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brown ground beef with onions over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is not pink, breaking beef up into ¾ inch crumbles. Pour off drippings. Add gravy and peas to the beef. Season with pepper. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese begins to brown

Recipe courtesy of: “Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner”

This week, while stuffing bags of Ag-Day materials for fourth-grade teachers, I browsed through a new booklet provided by the Colorado Beef Council.

“Power for Your Plate: Recipes and Tips for a Healthy You,” a “Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner” booklet, is filled with information about being healthy, beef recipes, and yummy ideas for getting fruits and vegetables into a healthy diet.

Anyway, I found two main-meal recipes that sound delicious and appear to be easy to fix. I haven’t tried them yet, but I plan to. The first is “Beefy Shepherd’s Pie.”

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Brown the ground beef with the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until the beef is not pink, breaking beef into 3/4 inch crumbles.

Pour off drippings and stir in gravy and peas. Season with pepper.

Spoon beef mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Top with potatoes, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with cheese (optional). Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese begins to brown. Makes 4 servings.

I’ll bet this recipe would be a good one to make if you have leftover mashed potatoes.

Combine beef, water and soup mix in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours until beef is fork tender.

Add asparagus and mushrooms to the stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes or until the asparagus is crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cornstarch mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

This makes 6 to 8 servings.

If you have recipes that you’d like to share, call me at 824-8809 or write to me at P.O. Box 415, Craig, CO 81626.